Panem et circenses. Massive "sports" events have been a staple of social control since Greek and Roman times, and still are to some extent. Instead of going ou

Panem et circenses. Massive "sports" events have been a staple of social control since Greek and Roman times, and still are to some extent. Instead of going out and killing people on the streets, you just watch gladiators kill one another. People still riot from time to time when their favorite team loses a big match, but those riots can be much more easily controlled and condemned than one that actually exposes deep fissures within the society. Having said that, however, it's worth asking whether a democratic society should allow the government to encourage such a well-known method of silencing dissent.